1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to containers for items to be sterilized and also to containers for handling and disposing of contaminated or infectious waste products. Containers for items to be sterilized necessarily are porous to the sterilizing medium, whether steam or a gas such as ethylene oxide. On the other hand, such materials must be impervious to bacteria or other contaminants. Containers for contaminated or infectious waste products are desirably impervious to prevent exposure to the contaminated material. The present invention is directed to improvements in containers intended for such purposes and, in particular, to disposable containers such as bags or boxes that may advantageously be used for both applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Items to be sterilized are conventionally wrapped in muslin or nonwoven materials such as are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,203 to Brock and Meitner dated Aug. 9, 1977, which is incorporated herein by reference. Once sterilized, however, if items are to be stored in a sterilized condition for extended periods, it is frequently considered desirable to further wrap the items in an impervious wrapper such as a film bag or the like. Such containers are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,485 to Schuster dated Apr. 19, 1983 which includes as a material, a laminate of a barrier paper and a layer of thermoplastic polymer material having breather means. When it is desired to dispose of contaminated or infectious waste products, it may be desirable to sterilize such products prior to disposal. In such cases it has been considered necessary to use traditional sterilization containers for that purpose and transfer the sterilized waste into an impervious bag or container which is subsequently sealed prior to disposal. Such a procedure obviously presents a risk of contact with the waste material which, although subjected to sterilization, may not be completely decontaminated. Accordingly, such a procedure has not been entirely satisfactory, and it is desired to provide means for sterilization and also for handling infectious or contaminated waste with a minimized risk of contact.